When I lived in New York back in 1999, I lived on Eleventh Ave. It was a trek from the nearest subway, and not in the slightest way hip or cool or even passable in certain circles.
“Where? Isn’t that, like, the freeway?” people would say, noses scrunched, talking about the West Side highway that lines the Hudson River.
No - Eleventh Avenue is the next one over, thank you very much, and it was quite a lovely place to live. Except when the icy winds howled up off the river and followed me all the way to that subway stop four blocks away.
And apart from that time my sandal broke three blocks from home and I had to hop awkwardly all the way home because there was not a cab or a bus in sight.
But on the best days, my views of the river calmed my soul and took away the stress of 16-hour days with crazy “genius” artsy types. The sunsets over New Jersey were mesmerizing - I’d stare at the big, broad streaks of pink and orange and dusky purple for hours.
Now, I live in Brooklyn, but I got the warm and fuzzies remembering my Eleventh Ave days recently, at the launch party for the Ink48 Hotel - a boutique hotel with one of the biggest rooftop bars in New York, Press.
New York is now in full outdoor drinking mode, and the rooftop bar is where everyone wants to be.
Le Bain atop the Standard New York is the latest hot spot people are clamouring to get into, and you can read about all the other new hotel rooftop bars that have opened in New York here - but of all of them, Press has the most space, and insane views in every direction.
Even better: if you’re a guest of the hotel, you can plop into the rooftop Jacuzzi and settle into the best sunset-view seats in the city.
Rooms at Ink48 start at around $285 a night on weekdays.